9 years ago, the horrifying accident of Jules Bianchi would change the face of Formula 1
The return of Formula 1 to the Suzuka circuit, on the occasion of the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, brings back memories of a terrible accident involving French driver Jules Bianchi. Almost nine years ago, on October 5, 2014, he was involved in a tragic accident that cost him his life nine months later and had an impact on Formula 1 regulations.
Nine years ago, during the Japanese Grand Prix held on October 5th, 2014, a typhoon made track conditions very difficult at Suzuka. On the 44th lap of the race, the German driver Adrian Sutil (Sauber) went off track in turn 7. Immediately after, a tractor entered the track to assist the track marshals in clearing the Sauber while the safety car returned to the circuit. The images were shocking when, under the conditions of the safety car, a Formula 1 car went straight ahead in the same turn. It was Jules Bianchi’s car that struck the tractor from behind.
No images of the accident, which occurred on a soaked track, were however broadcasted on the monitors at the Suzuka circuit, as the impact was too severe, according to the International Automobile Federation (FIA). The protocol dictates that we must wait for the driver to exit the vehicle on their own before broadcasting the footage.
Unconscious, Jules Bianchi was still in his cockpit, helmet removed, when the rescuers applied an oxygen mask to him for the first time, before being put on a stretcher. The French driver was then evacuated by ambulance to the nearest hospital, as it was impossible to transport him by helicopter due to the weather conditions, as we learned on site.
The Grand Prix, started slowly behind the safety car, was definitively stopped on the 46th lap, following this double crash, and therefore concluded with another victory for Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). While Typhoon Phanfone was expected in the region for a few days and was supposed to pass close to Suzuka, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) proposed twice to advance the start of the race, but the Japanese promoter refused.
Repatriated to Nice, his hometown, Jules Bianchi remained close to his loved ones before passing away on July 17, 2015, nine months after his terrible accident in Japan. On that day, a great French hope was lost. Jules fought until the end as he always had, but yesterday, his battle came to an end, as stated in the family’s statement, expressing immense and indescribable sadness.
20 years after Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger and increased safety
His death as a result of this accident was the first in Formula 1 since the death of the triple Brazilian world champion Ayrton Senna at the San Marino Grand Prix on May 1, 1994, at the age of 34, and that of Roland Ratzenberger the day before, on the same track. There had been no such tragic accident since then, so it had been 20 years. An achievement linked to the improvement of the survival structure of Formula 1 cars, the cockpit.
However, under the leadership of Jean Todt, the FIA draws conclusions from this accident and decides to further protect the drivers’ heads. The F1 cockpits then feature an increase in the height of the bodywork at mid-helmet level. This allows the driver to be protected during side impacts. But that is not enough in the case of frontal collisions. Therefore, this accident led to the introduction of the halo in 2018, a carbon protection that surrounds the driver’s helmet on the single-seaters to prevent impacts on the head and to prevent a similar accident to Jules Bianchi’s from happening again.
The halo, of course, changes the “aero” face of a Formula 1 car, and if several drivers complained about this visual aspect, just like the fans, it took a few accidents proving the importance of the halo to change people’s minds.
The halo has already demonstrated its effectiveness with Charles Leclerc in Belgium in 2018, Valtteri Bottas and Romain Grosjean in Bahrain in 2020, Lewis Hamilton in Monza in 2021 when Verstappen’s Red Bull climbed over the Mercedes, or more recently, Guanyu Zhou in Silverstone in 2022. His Alfa Romeo flips over after a contact, sliding for 200 meters, and he is only protected by his halo. The carbon protection located in the air intake above the hood broke after a 20-meter slide on the asphalt…
The FIA tests are draconian and cannot prevent all situations. Jules Bianchi’s case could not have been predicted.
